History Main / InferioritySuperiorityComplex

** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]] certainly fits the trope. The ''ComicBook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' series constantly compared him with Peter Parker, often in an EvilCounterpart sort of way. But in the end, Otto himself finally admitted the greatest difference between them: while Parker is humble and filled with self-doubt ''because'' he knows for a fact he's stronger and thus holds more responsibility, Octavius was simply attempting to overcome his inner inferiority complex. Once he realized this, our self-proclaimed SuperiorSuccessor took a HeroicSacrifice, but not before giving the hero a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'', Alastor is a suave, confident MagnificentBastard that became a PerpetualSmiler in order to give everyone the idea that [[ControlFreak he's always in control]]. However, very rarely the mask slips and he shows that he's NotSoAboveItAll. He starts up a [[BullyingADragon rivalry with Lucifer himself]] because he was incensed at being snubbed by one of the few beings more powerful than he was, [[spoiler:and is deeply insecure over the fact that his own immense power comes from a DealWithTheDevil. Losing to [[OriginalMan Adam]] in the first season finale puts him on the edge of a VillainousBreakdown while nobody's looking, before he cleans himself up and rejoins the others]].

* ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'': A huge factor in [[Characters/IrredeemablePlutonian the Plutonian]]'s FaceHeelTurn was that despite the vast majority of people being grateful to him, he was so emotionally needy that he ''had'' to be universally beloved, and the one-in-a-billion UngratefulTownsfolk who didn't lavish him with praise and affection drove him nuts. It didn't help matters that thanks to his SuperSenses he could hear every single one of them. One flashback shows an entire stadium cheering his name after he saves them from a giant robot, but he is hyper-focused on a couple of people whispering that they don't trust him, they think he's a showoff, et cetera.

* Both Donatello and Leonardo in "WesternAnimation/RiseOfTheTeenageMutantNinjaTurtles" are this in varying flavors.

*** Thor's adopted brother [[Characters/MarvelComicsLoki Loki]] is sometimes a haughty sorcerer who thinks that Asgard and Mjolnir rightfully belong to him... and sometimes he's TheUnfavorite brother who can never be an adequate [[Myth/NorseMythology Jotunn or Æsir]].
*** [[Characters/TheMightyThorThorOdinson Thor]] himself has shades of a complex, both prior to being sent to Earth to learn humility, and in moments when he sways into {{Jerkass}} territory with loud reminders that he is the God of Thunder. All of this comes from his relationship with his father, who was emotionally distant at best and CannotSpitItOut. During the God-Butcher Saga, Old King Thor outright told young Thor that he'd never get what he wanted most. Young Thor objected, assuming that he meant Mjolnir. As it turned out, what he really meant was that [[WellDoneSonGuy Odin would never tell him he was proud of him]]. Then, he actually did, grabbing all three Thors (present, past, and King) in TheGlomp at the end of ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' and [[SoProudOfYou telling them that he's proud of them]]. Their identical expressions of utter bafflement are both hilarious and depressing.

** FatBastard villain the Blob likes to throw his weight around to compensate for a lifetime of being mocked for his porcine mutation. When forced to confront his worst fears by psychic hero Mirage of the ComicBook/NewMutants, he saw a crowd of kids, a ringmaster, and the mutants Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} and [[Characters/MarvelComicsExodus Exodus]] all laughing at him.

* Maui in ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}''. He likes to constantly brag about all the great deeds he's done [[spoiler: because he's desperately looking for approval and friendship due to knowing that his human parents didn't want him and [[OffingTheOffspring threw him into the sea as an infant]] [[WouldHurtAChild to drown]]. This is actually his fundamental motivation for even doing all his great deeds in the first place; to receive love and admiration from humans.]]

* Taako of ''Podcast/TheAdventureZoneBalance'' shows many signs of self-loathing despite his {{Awesome Ego}}. He carries an immense amount of guilt over [[spoiler: the disaster at Glamour Springs]] and his comments early on describing himself as an "idiot" could be seen as {{Self Deprecation}}. Finally, when he reveals [[spoiler: his undisguised appearance to Kravitz he immediately expects to be rejected.]]

** Yumihiko Ichiyanagi (or Sebastian Debeste, as named in the unofficial English dub) from'' Ace Attorney Investigations 2'' also has similar issues to Franziska. He thinks he's number one and insults everyone else who is obviously smarter than him. Even characters like [[CluelessDetective Gumshoe]] and [[TheFriendNobodyLikes Larry]] call him out on his stupidity. Yumihiko is incredibly slow to pick up what is going on around him and tends to jump in at the point where everyone is past that. [[spoiler: He obviously wants to please his father, but after said father reveals that he's the one who arranged all of Yumihiko's achievements, the young prosecutor suffers a massive breakdown, resulting in the longest and hardest Logic Chess sequence in the game. Instead of exposing the target's secret, Edgeworth has to use this Logic Chess sequence like a counseling session, helping Yumihiko get back on his feet. Edgeworth finds this exceptionally difficult given how Yumihiko has been acting for most of the game]].

* Haruka from ''VisualNovel/LittleBusters'' acts like an [[GenkiGirl energetic]] ManicPixieDreamGirl who's always showing off and joking that people should praise her, but deep down she's ''very'' insecure and for very good reason. [[spoiler:Growing up constantly compared to your 'better' twin, being beaten every time you fail compared to her, and told that you're a terrible person because your father beat up your mother does that to a kid]]. It's made clear later on when Haruka's ''praise me'' comments are given an IronicEcho -- she suddenly challenges Riki to a thumb fight and when she wins demands just one thing: that he praise her. That she's so genuinely overjoyed when he does such a simple thing really drives home her {{Woobie}} status.

* Magnus the Red is depicted as this is ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice''. He's painfully aware of all his flaws and mistakes but masks that with arrogance and flaunting his knowledge and power. This is actually justified: as a Daemon Prince, Magnus is shaped by his self-image; if he ever dwells on his shortcomings too much, he will actually start to physically and mentally diminish in proportion to his self-loathing. When Cegorach forces him to perform standup comedy to gain access to the Black Library (ItMakesSenseInContext), he finds that the only thing that gets a laugh is SelfDeprecation and starts so bitterly listing all his personal failures, beginning with being born. It actually starts killing him, which shouldn;t even be possible.

** Amethyst is a carefree braggart who in one episode tries to cheer up Steven by telling him "You can't let anyone else make you feel like garbage!" Later episodes demonstrate that Amethyst has a number of insecurities of her own, stemming first from [[spoiler: having been created in a Gem "Kindergarten" on Earth that sucked the life out of the ground for miles around to create new Gems]], and later from [[spoiler: being much smaller than a typical Quartz-class Gem.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'', it's shown that InsufferableGenius Rick has this to the point that [[spoiler: he feels so threatened by the idea of someone being smarter than him that he created a metaphysical wall spanning the entire infinite multiverse, blocking out any AlternateUniverse with someone smarter than him from their section of the multiverse to turn reality itself into a NormalFishInATinyPond situation for him for the sake of his own ego]]. In Season 6 we learn why he's frequently referred to as the "smartest ''[[ResolvedNoodleIncident mammal]]''"; some of the dinosaurs survived and became {{ultraterrestrials}} colonizing the universe. Upon meeting them Rick initially enjoys having what he views as intellectual equals around, but upon discovering they're even smarter than he is, he does an immediate 180 [[ScrewYouElves and becomes hellbent on humiliating them]].

[[folder:Literature]]
* The Tiffany Aching subseries of ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' has Annagramma Hawkin as its resident AlphaBitch. She is described, among other things, as "vain as a canary in a room full of mirrors", having a "huge lack of interest in anyone other than herself", and treating everyone "as if they were slightly deaf and a bit stupid". Despite her efforts, sometimes her façade falls and [[BeneathTheMask the clever, capable, but absolutely terrified girl beneath]] it can be seen, and after [[spoiler: Tiffany forces the truth about her impoverished heritage out]], [[CharacterDevelopment she slowly becomes a better person]].
-->"Inside there was this worried, frantic little face watching the world like a bunny watching a fox, and screaming at it in the hope that it would go away and not hurt her."
* Felix Harrowgate from ''Literature/DoctrineOfLabyrinths'', having been abused as a child in pretty much every way possible, is a very damaged and unstable person who veers chaotically between self-worship and self-loathing. He can be a shameless AttentionWhore and really ''is'' extraordinarily vain when it comes to his looks, intellect, and magical prowess, but he's also practically addicted to self-sabotage and doesn't really believe he deserves to be happy or loved. Throughout the series he repeatedly does [[WhatTheHellHero awful things]] to the people he cares about, is too proud to apologize but inwardly berates himself for being a "monster", then seeks out some kind of horrible karmic punishment to cope with the guilt, usually while trying to maintain his arrogant and uncaring facade. What a mess.
* In ''Literature/{{Fatherland}}'', a nation-wide example of this trope presents itself. Xavier March goes on a bus tour of the "Nazis-won" 1964 Berlin with his son. When pointing out the grandiose landmarks all around them, the tour guide constantly boasts about how everything is bigger and better than comparable monuments in other cities. Far from being impressed, however, March merely identifies this as a symptom of how deep-down insecure and inferior Nazi Germany as a culture and people actually feels:
-->''Higher, bigger, longer, wider, more expensive... even in victory, Germany has a parvenu's inferiority complex. Nothing stands on its own. Everything has to be compared with what the foreigners have...''
* In the Irvine Welsh novel ''Literature/{{Filth}}'', Bruce is a boastful, misanthropic bigot who appears to look down on everyone around him. Turns out, he's severely self-hating, traumatised, and mentally unwell.
* ''Literature/GodsOfJadeAndShadow'': Martín the secondary antagonist likes being a scion of the wealthiest and most powerful family in his home village; avoids situations, like school, where he'd have to apply his mediocre abilities; and abused Casiopea for years out of fear and resentment that their grandfather respects her more than him. He has a crushing JerkassRealization when he's forced to confront the fact that she's in no way his inferior.
* In ''Literature/TheGreatGatsby'', Tom for all his bluster is painfully aware that he has nothing to offer Daisy but his money. The only time he appears truly worried about something is when it seems that Daisy might leave him for Gatsby.
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'':
** Hermione's know-it-all attitude. In Creator/JKRowling's own words, "underneath Hermione's swottiness, there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure". Hermione's fear of failure is so great that her [[IKnowWhatYouFear boggart]] when she was a student was Professor [=McGonagall=] telling her she failed all of her classes.
** Hermione's insecurity being masked by her know-it-all attitude makes her a fascinating comparison to her close friend [[spoiler: and later husband]], Ron Weasley, who is pretty open with his insecurity due to being the youngest son (his brothers have already done a lot and his younger sister was the girl his mother always wanted) while [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter being in the shadow]] of his best friend and thus tends to get a big head whenever he accomplishes something.
** According to Rowling herself, the person she based Gilderoy Lockhart on may have had this (she's not sure because she "never dug that deep"), so it's possible it could be an explanation for Lockhart's behavior as well. For his part, Creator/KennethBranagh (who played Lockhart) rejects this theory: "I wish I could tell you that it's because he's very insecure. In fact, he's not. He's just a {{narcissist}}." Once more of his backstory is revealed, it turns out to be a downplayed example. Lockhart ''does'' have a genuinely over-inflated opinion of himself, but he's also aware of his ineptitude and has spent most of his career using the skills he does have to disguise his shortcomings and turn himself into a celebrity. He could actually have been a talented wizard had he put in the effort, but his ego is so big that he refuses to acknowledge this.
** This is implied to be partially the reason for TheMasquerade as a whole. Wizards (especially the British ones) act like TheFairFolk and treat {{muggles}} with CondescendingCompassion ''[[FantasticRacism at best]]'', looking at them like children or zoo animals. However, despite the past [[BurnTheWitch witch hunts]] being laughable failures, it's still suggested at times that despite their lack of magical powers, Muggles as a whole are actually more of a threat to the wizarding world than vice-versa because of Muggles' sheer numbers and technological advancements wizards don't even attempt to understand. Dumbledore was the BigGood, and even he was put off enough by them to try [[TakeOverTheWorld subjugating them]] when he was younger. Just look at how the Dursleys treated Harry, and imagine that on a planetary scale.
* Creator/IsaacAsimov's ''Literature/TheFoundationTrilogy'':
** "Literature/TheMayors": Prince Regent Wienis of Anacreon has been troubling the fledgling Foundation. Mayor Hardin voices the opinion that Wienis' warmongering and bombastics are signs of an inferiority complex, as that often happens among younger members of royalty.
--->''"Probably an over-compensated inferiority complex. Younger sons of royalty get that way, you know."'' -- '''Salvor Hardin'''
** "Literature/TheMule": The Mule is a mutant with powerful [[PsychicPowers psychic abilities]]... but they also come with a hefty dose of physical inferiority, leading to an aggressive personality angry at the society which used to [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer scorn him as a child]] and [[FreudianExcuse capable of repaying it]]. This leads to him becoming a GalacticConquerer and WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds.
** "Literature/SearchByTheMule": The First Speaker of the Second Foundation calls it their second mistake with respect to the Mule. They had easily deduced his PsychicPowers when he conquered Kalgan but neglected to realize his ugliness and inability to procreate made him resent the rest of the galaxy. After he realized what he could do with EmotionControl powers, he began [[GalacticConqueror conquering worlds]] so he could [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds prove that he was better than everyone who ever picked on him]]. Even after taking control of both the Empire and the First Foundation, he keeps his palace empty of servants, so that nobody can see him and laugh at his appearance.
--->''"We didn't foresee that you were not merely a mutant, but a sterile mutant and the added psychic distortion due to your inferiority complex passed us by. We allowed only for a megalomania - not for an intensely psychopathic paranoia as well."'' -- '''First Speaker'''
* In the ''Literature/LastHeraldMageTrilogy'', future Herald-Mage Vanyel starts off as TheUnfavorite of his father (who sees him as an InadequateInheritor) and the cosseted darling of his mother (who is florid, romantic, and craves attention). This leaves him with a fragile ego and deep insecurities which he masks with arrogance. After a particularly excessive moment, another character wisely observes that Van holds his nose so high because everyone else is trying to push it into the dirt.
* ''Literature/MotherOfLearning'': Taiven is apparently loud, proud, confident and driven. When Zorian begins to surpass her, though, the cracks start to show, until [[spoiler:she has a breakdown, [[CryIntoChest sobbing into his shoulder]] about how after all her hard work she feels like she's not really achieved anything, and him being better than her at everything despite being younger is the icing on the cake.]]
* In Creator/JudyBlume's ''Literature/OtherwiseKnownAsSheilaTheGreat'', Sheila Tubman has an inferiority complex about her various fears and the fact that she cannot do certain things (such as swimming and working a yo-yo) that other kids her age can do. It causes her to act boastful, which makes even her friends feel uncomfortable around her--and she even acts mean to her neighbor and classmate, Peter Hatcher (the protagonist of Judy Blume's other ''Literature/{{Fudge}}'' books).
* An interpretation of Zeus's behavior in the ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' series. He quarrels with Poseidon over who their mother Rhea likes better, is paranoid that Poseidon is constantly plotting against him, demands respect when no one respects him, closes off Olympus due to wounded pride, and tries to blame others for his mistakes. His massive ego and demanding people respect and obey him come across as at least partially trying to cover up his own mistakes and knowledge he is a failure that no one likes, especially when one compares his treatment of others, and how others, in turn, react to him, with his fellow Kings Ra and Odin in their own series having a lot fewer people in those series who snark or debase their kings (at least when Ra isn't senile, then many of the Egyptians Gods will snark at him.)
* The titular hero of the ''Literature/PrinceRoger'' series embodies this trope at the start. His parents separated before his birth under...tricky circumstances, and his mother was aloof during his childhood because he looks (and behaves) too much like his father. But as Roger knows nothing about this he takes it as a purely personal rejection, and it doesn't help that the whole empire compares him unfavorably to his ridiculously accomplished half-siblings. He grows up into a stroppy, arrogant playboy largely to piss his mother off, but also to cover up how generally ''lousy'' he feels about himself. It's no coincidence that he only starts to outgrow his SpoiledBrat tendencies once others start viewing him as worthy and useful and he gains some actual self-esteem.
* Jane Rizzoli of the ''Series/RizzoliAndIsles'' books suffers from this. In the first two books, in particular, it's implied that a lot of her tough and abrasive behavior stems from insecurity after years of being TheUnfavorite, in her family (thanks to being the only daughter), on the workforce, where she's the only female detective -- even though the very reason she even became a cop was that she felt it was some way that she would finally earn respect, and in life in general because of her plain and average looks, resulting in her striving to excel at everything else in order to compensate.
* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'':
** Pick any younger-generation Lannister. Blame it on growing up with [[AbusiveParents Tywin Lannister]] as the head of the clan -- it might just be that the only thing worse for you than being one of the kids who was judged to be a disappointment from very young (say, Tyrion and Lancel) is being one of the kids who was born full of enormous potential that he will never see you as living up to, no matter what you do (Cersei, Jaime, and to some extent Joffrey). And, then there's poor Joy Hill's situation; she gets shunted to the side of almost everything because she's his brother's acknowledged bastard... and acknowledging low-tier by-blows is simply beneath Lannisters -- and, despite being kin, you're not a Lannister, Miss ''[[BastardAngst Hill]]''. Until using her as a backhanded [[ArrangedMarriage marriage trinket]] comes along as a possibility, that is: yay, suddenly remembered when nobody else in the extended family wants in on that marriage (or when that whole thing just got misinterpreted)! [[DysfunctionJunction How to mess 'em up, House Lannister.]]
** What the Lannister kids can do, Theon Greyjoy can do too -- and for much, the same [[FreudianExcuse Daddy Issues]]-based reason. But, he's also much, much [[SmugSmiler smugger]] and with rather fewer grounds for the superiority bit: the Greyjoy name doesn't hold as much weight.
** This attitude seems to be pretty widespread among the Ironborn; only a few major characters, like Asha Greyjoy and Rodrik Harlaw, see the contradiction between being "born conquerors," superior by birth to the green-landers, etc., etc., and getting their teeth kicked in so often by the mainland kingdoms.
** But, if you want the most inferiority-driven superiority for the least amount of ability and oodles of posturing SmallNameBigEgo to go with... pick a Frey. Almost any Frey will do.
** Ramsay Bolton will always hate having been merely born a Snow. Killing his half-brother was probably one way to try to prove to Daddy how Bolton he could be. As well as overdoing it a bit with the family hobbies.
* The deal with Bradley Chalkers of ''Literature/TheresABoyInTheGirlsBathroom''. Bradley begins as the blueprint BarbaricBully, responding to a kid's first interaction with him with "Give me a dollar or I'll spit on you.". Few see his struggles: he's a KiddieKid with learning disabilities that have held him back a grade, classified as a failure by everyone but his mother. Figuring that if he's a failure, it won't sting as much if he hates the people who branded him one, he gains confidence and a sense of superiority by ''becoming'' their worst expectations: an aggressive, lying, friendless wretch who will break anything given to him. The story is about Bradley's relationship with his new school counselor, Carla, who helps Bradley break out of his cage of self-image and [[CharacterDevelopment flourish as a person]].
-->He understood it when the other kids were mean to him. It didn't bother him. He simply hated them. As long as he hated them, it didn't matter what they thought of him.
* [[TheSmartGuy Starflight]] from ''Literature/WingsOfFire'' thinks of himself as being inherently superior due to being a[= NightWing=] (dragons that can tell the future and read minds), but he doesn't have any powers yet. Internally, however, he berates himself for not being as brave or daring as his friends and thinks that he's a failure. He wants to believe that the [=NightWings=] are good and noble and awe-inspiring, but [[spoiler:just like Clay and Glory, he's let down by what they really are]].
[[/folder]]

** In fact, Spider-Man calls her out on it, comparing her to nothing more than a cowardly bully whose true colors come out when she's on the losing end. After she beats She-Hulk for the first time and thinks Spidey would be easy pickings, he utterly ''crushed'' her through greater agility and experience, all while calling her out on this. It left her ''terrified'' of him for years.

*** [[Characters/MarvelComicsThorOdinson Thor]] himself has shades of a complex, both prior to being sent to Earth to learn humility, and in moments when he sways into {{Jerkass}} territory with loud reminders that he is the God of Thunder. All of this comes from his relationship with his father, who was emotionally distant at best and CannotSpitItOut. During the God-Butcher Saga, Old King Thor outright told young Thor that he'd never get what he wanted most. Young Thor objected, assuming that he meant Mjolnir. As it turned out, what he really meant was that [[WellDoneSonGuy Odin would never tell him he was proud of him]]. Then, he actually did, grabbing all three Thors (present, past, and King) in TheGlomp at the end of ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' and [[SoProudOfYou telling them that he's proud of them]]. Their identical expressions of utter bafflement are both hilarious and depressing.

*** [[Characters/BatmanTheRiddler The Riddler]]: InsufferableGenius extraordinaire, yet so deeply willing to prove his smarts to the world. It bites him in the ass pretty much ''every single time''. His gimmick is that his plans are interspersed with riddles and puzzles that, if solved, allow his schemes to become unraveled. This is obviously counterproductive, but for the Riddler, proving that he's smarter than the authorities (and Batman) is a compulsion so powerful that he literally can't resist it. According to most of his backstories, this is a compulsion he developed in childhood due to being abused into having some ''major'' self-esteem issues.

* A huge factor in [[Characters/IrredeemablePlutonian the Plutonian]]'s FaceHeelTurn in ''ComicBook/{{Irredeemable}}'' was that despite the vast majority of people being grateful to him, he was so emotionally needy that he ''had'' to be universally beloved, and the one-in-a-billion UngratefulTownsfolk who didn't lavish him with praise and affection drove him nuts. It didn't help matters that thanks to his SuperSenses he could hear every single one of them. One flashback shows an entire stadium cheering his name after he saves them from a giant robot, but he is hyper-focused on a couple of people whispering that they don't trust him, they think he's a showoff, et cetera.

** It's noted that Striker from ''ComicBook/AvengersAcademy'' tries really hard to look like he's not trying at all. His overbearing, [[GlorySeeker glory-seeking]] [[StageMom mother]] is part of the problem.

*** Thor himself has shades of a complex, both prior to being sent to Earth to learn humility, and in moments when he sways into {{Jerkass}} territory with loud reminders that he is the God of Thunder. All of this comes from his relationship with his father, who was emotionally distant at best and CannotSpitItOut. During the God-Butcher Saga, Old King Thor outright told young Thor that he'd never get what he wanted most. Young Thor objected, assuming that he meant Mjolnir. As it turned out, what he really meant was that [[WellDoneSonGuy Odin would never tell him he was proud of him]]. Then, he actually did, grabbing all three Thors (present, past, and King) in TheGlomp at the end of ''ComicBook/WarOfTheRealms'' and [[SoProudOfYou telling them that he's proud of them]]. Their identical expressions of utter bafflement are both hilarious and depressing.

** Titania, of ''ComicBook/SheHulk'''s RoguesGallery. [[FreudianExcuse The short and scrawny Mary MacPherran was the butt of the wealthy, popular crowd's cruel jokes and was nicknamed "Skeeter" (as in "mosquito") for her troubles]]. Resenting her lot in life, she dreamed of gaining superpowers to enact revenge upon her tormentors and be admired. After lying about being ComicBook/SpiderWoman backfired, Mary got her wish by hastily agreeing to be experimented on by Doctor Doom, becoming a [[StatuesqueStunner tall]], [[AmazonianBeauty buff]], [[SuperStrength mighty]], and [[TheBrute brutish]] SmugSuper over in her introduction in ''Comicbook/SecretWars1984''. However, she still remains troubled within and what forms the bedrock of her maniacal vendetta against She-Hulk is because [[AlwaysSomeoneBetter She-Hulk always seems to be one step ahead of her]]; this reminds Titania of being Skeeter, and she ''hates'' feeling weak. She actually won her first bout against She-Hulk before she tried picking on none other than [[Characters/SpiderManPeterParker Spider-Man]]. He proceeded to utterly ''[[CurbStompBattle crush]]'' her without breaking a sweat, all while giving her a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, noting that she's still a "wimpette" underneath her new bullying exterior before she's flung out the window. The defeat actually made her ''terrified'' by Spidey for years.
** ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'': [[Characters/MarvelComicsOttoOctavius Doctor Octopus]] certainly fits the trope. The ''Comicbook/SuperiorSpiderMan'' series constantly compared him with Peter Parker, often in an EvilCounterpart sort of way. But in the end, Otto himself finally admitted the greatest difference between them: while Parker is humble and filled with self-doubt ''because'' he knows for a fact he's stronger and thus holds more responsibility, Octavius was simply attempting to overcome his inner inferiority complex. Once he realized this, our self-proclaimed SuperiorSuccessor took a HeroicSacrifice, but not before giving the hero a YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre speech.
** ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'': FatBastard villain the Blob likes to throw his weight around to compensate for a lifetime of being mocked for his porcine mutation. When forced to confront his worst fears by psychic hero Mirage of the ComicBook/NewMutants, he saw a crowd of kids, a ringmaster, and the mutants Characters/{{Wolverine|JamesLoganHowlett}} and [[Characters/MarvelComicsExodus Exodus]] all laughing at him.
** ''ComicBook/XMen'': Some writers (such as Grant Morrison and Kieron Gillen) depict Emma Frost as this; riddled with self-loathing but utterly unwilling to let anyone see any sign of weakness, so she covers it up with her ice queen façade and lashes out at the world with vicious sarcasm... which just fuels her own self-loathing further.
* Rodimus shows certain signs of this in ''ComicBook/TheTransformersMoreThanMeetsTheEye'', but Getaway goes past "signs" and into "fireworks displays and alarm bells". [[spoiler:PsychoPsychologist Froid]] mentions that watching Getaway's inferiority complex spiraling out of control is a rare treat for him.

* One ''Webcomic/WhatsNewWithPhilAndDixie'' strip suggests that all supervillains are like this. And that, as a hero, the worst thing you can do is defeat them, because they'll think that proves you saw them as a threat, and just follow you around seeking more validation.

* Fictional media often portrays bullies as having low self-esteem, with their big egos being a facade to cover up their insecurities. While this is sometimes true, studies show that most bullies in real life actually have ''high'' self-esteem and they pick on others not because they're trying to feel better about themselves by tearing others down, but because they genuinely enjoy abusing those that they see as beneath them. Still, people who admit to having been bullies as kids have [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130723040234/http://fyiliving.com/health-news/bullies-grow-up-to-become-disturbed-adults/ poorer mental health on average.]] Additionally, bullies who [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp fail to shed their abusive behaviour]] as they mature are significantly more likely to become [[sadist sadists]], [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] or [[PsychopathicManchild psychopaths]], placing them as being equally more likely to engage in criminal acts or acts of violence in the future.

* Fictional media often portrays bullies as having low self-esteem, with their big egos being a facade to cover up their insecurities. While this is sometimes true, studies show that most bullies in real life actually have ''high'' self-esteem and they pick on others not because they're trying to feel better about themselves by tearing others down, but because they genuinely enjoy abusing those that they see as beneath them, making them more of a {{sadist}}ic SmallNameBigEgo than this trope. Still, people who admit to having been bullies as kids have [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130723040234/http://fyiliving.com/health-news/bullies-grow-up-to-become-disturbed-adults/ poorer mental health on average.]] Additionally, bullies who [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp fail to shed their abusive behaviour]] as they mature are significantly more likely to become [[TheSociopath sociopaths]] or [[PsychopathicManchild psychopaths]], placing them as being equally more likely to engage in criminal acts or acts of violence in the future.

* Fictional media often portrays bullies as having low self-esteem, with their big egos being a facade to cover up their insecurities. While this is sometimes true, studies show that most bullies in real life actually have ''high'' self-esteem and they pick on others not because they're trying to feel better about themselves by tearing others down, but because they genuinely enjoy abusing those that they see as beneath them, making them more of a SmallNameBigEgo than this trope. Still, people who admit to having been bullies as kids have [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130723040234/http://fyiliving.com/health-news/bullies-grow-up-to-become-disturbed-adults/ poorer mental health on average.]] Additionally, bullies who [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp fail to shed their abusive behaviour]] are significantly more likely to become [[{{Sadist}} sadists]], [[TheSociopath sociopaths]], or [[PsychopathicManchild psychopaths]], placing them as being equally more likely to engage in criminal acts or acts of violence in the future.

* Fictional media often portrays bullies as having low self-esteem, with their big egos being a facade to cover up their insecurities. While this is sometimes true, studies show that most real-life bullies actually have ''high'' self-esteem and genuinely do believe they are better than their targets, making them more of a SmallNameBigEgo than this trope. Still, people who admit to having been bullies as kids have [[https://web.archive.org/web/20130723040234/http://fyiliving.com/health-news/bullies-grow-up-to-become-disturbed-adults/ poorer mental health on average.]] Additionally, bullies who [[SchoolyardBullyAllGrownUp fail to shed their abusive behaviour]] are significantly more likely to become [[{{Sadist}} sadists]], [[TheSociopath sociopaths]], or [[PsychopathicManchild psychopaths]], placing them as being equally more likely to engage in criminal acts or acts of violence in the future.

May be a trait of the BrokenAce and BetaTestBaddie or show up in {{deconstruction}}s of the AlphaBitch, JerkJock, BrattyHalfPint, SmugSnake, SmugSuper, InsufferableGenius, ArrogantKungFuGuy, SmallNameBigEgo, or even AGodAmI (i.e straight superiority complex). Compare SadClown, someone who masks their insecurities with humor rather than arrogance. Contrast with HeroicSelfDeprecation, where the person is in fact awesome but the person themselves doesn't believe that they are worth much. Might also overlap with EasilyEmbarrassedYoungster if they're under 18.

* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'':
** Tai Lung was raised to believe he would be made the Dragon Warrior (his given name's literal meaning in Mandarin is "great dragon" ), and became arrogant, prideful, and convinced of his own heroism and perfection...until he was denied the scroll by Master Oogway, after which he went on a rampage through the Valley of Peace. By his own admission that all he ever did was to make Shifu proud, it's obvious that Tai Lung believed he needed the validation of the scroll to make himself have any worth, let alone to [[WellDoneSonGuy earn Shifu's love and pride]]. This is made clearest of all when Po explains the meaning of the Dragon Scroll to him--not only is he unable to accept that the only real power comes from within (because he thinks he has no worth and thus needs outward validation), but when he first stares into the scroll to see only his reflection, he declares, "[[RuleOfSymbolism It's nothing]]!"

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* ''WebAnimation/DSBTInsaniT'': Dave's such a bully because it's his way of taking out all the anger he has on the world. He hates just about everything, and being a brute empowers him and makes him think he can take on anything, but he knows he will never be strong enough to handle everything life throws at him, which just fuels his hate.
* [[{{Jerkass}} Tom]] from ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'' treats [[CloudCuckooLander Zack]] like crap because he was [[FreudianExcuse overshadowed by his]] [[BigLittleBrother little brother]], and now he "needs to feel better than someone".
* Eduardo from ''WebAnimation/EddsWorld'' is this, always having to be better than everyone, especially Edd, in order to make up for constant harassment as a child that was caused by Edd.
* Blitzo in ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'' is a SadClown who shows subtle signs throughout Season 1 that despite his projected confidence, he is secretly desperate to prove himself as somebody capable and worth something, with his [[JerkassWoobie boasts being acts of denial that he lashes out with]] at anybody who gets too close to the issue. "Truth Seekers" reveals that before I.M.P., he tried to go solo but the result didn't work out, leading to self-doubt about his worth since he needs to rely on others. This causes him to [[{{Tsundere}} push away anyone close to him until they have enough]], end up hating him and leaving, which makes him [[DesperatelyCravesAffection crave love and companionship]] but gets hampered by his confidence issues, making him fear that his employees and [[UptownGirl boyfriend Stolas]] will leave him too and he'll end up DyingAlone.
* ''WebAnimation/MangaSoprano'': In stories featuring a female main character who has to face a female antagonist who bullies her, she will usually explain that the FMC was more liked by everyone than she is, even when the stories imply it's the antagonist's fault that they're not liked.
** [[https://youtu.be/JyGWpEM6Z_Y "My twin sister, whom I had insulated, pretended to be me and did evil things."]]: [[EvilTwin Rui]] strived to take what's precious to her twin sister Ram because people liked the latter more than the former ever since they were little.
** [[https://youtu.be/FW6yfEdRsps "I work in a lunch box shop and my mom's friends are harassing me..."]]: [[RichBitch Lisa]] picks on Kanade because the latter is way happier than her despite working at a part-time job to make ends meet.
** [[https://youtu.be/miVFbB8RcFM "My sister called me to report that my fiancé engaged to her →But then I was at the wedding..."]]: Uta stole potential boyfriends from her sister Kanade to feel better, since Kanade was better than her.
* ''WebAnimation/TheTwins2022'': Lake seems to hit a nerve when he states that the only reason why Lucas is so hellbent on getting him in trouble and acting like he's better than him is just to make himself ''feel'' better.
* Magnus the Red is depicted as this is ''WebAnimation/IfTheEmperorHadATextToSpeechDevice''. He's painfully aware of all his flaws and mistakes but masks that with arrogance and flaunting his knowledge and power. This is actually justified: as a Daemon Prince, Magnus is shaped by his self-image; if he ever dwells on his shortcomings too much, he will actually start to physically and mentally diminish in proportion to his self-loathing. When Cegorach forces him to perform standup comedy to gain access to the Black Library (ItMakesSenseInContext), he finds that the only thing that gets a laugh is SelfDeprecation and starts so bitterly listing all his personal failures, beginning with being born. It actually starts killing him, which shouldn;t even be possible.
[[/folder]]